Hyderabad: Telangana power plants faced a fresh generation crisis after five thermal and hydel units stopped producing electricity within a week. The shutdowns affected three thermal units and two hydel units as state power demand continued to rise.
Units 3 and 4 of the Yadadri Thermal Power Station were shut down during the period. Unit-3 of the Bhadradri Thermal Power Station also stopped generation, according to the source.
The three thermal units together accounted for 1,870 MW of generation. Meanwhile, hydel plants faced another 260 MW loss of generation capacity during the same period.
The successive shutdowns have created additional pressure on GENCO at a time when electricity demand is increasing. Coal shortages and management failures have been cited as reasons for the problems affecting the plants.
Unit-4 of the Srisailam hydel plant suddenly went offline on Monday. The shutdown resulted in a loss of 150 MW of power generation.
At Nagarjunasagar, Unit-3 stopped producing 100 MW because of maintenance work. In addition, two units at Nizamsagar accounted for a further 10 MW reduction in generation.
The shutdowns have occurred one after another within a short period. As a result, Telangana power plants are facing increased pressure to maintain generation while demand remains high.
The source said the GENCO system has limited options to compensate for the lost generation. It also stated that buying electricity from the open market was not an available solution to overcome the shortfall.
Telangana power plants lose major generation capacity
The Yadadri Thermal Power Station suffered the largest reported loss among the listed units. Unit-3 had a capacity of 800 MW, while Unit-4 also accounted for 800 MW.
Bhadradri Thermal Power Station’s Unit-3 had a generation capacity of 270 MW. Together, the two Yadadri units and the Bhadradri unit represented 1,870 MW of thermal generation.
Srisailam Unit-4 accounted for another 150 MW of capacity. Nagarjunasagar Unit-3 represented an additional 100 MW of generation capacity.
The source described the successive failures as a major challenge for GENCO. The situation has emerged as electricity demand in the state continues to increase.
The available information also links the shutdowns to coal shortages and management failures. However, it does not provide further details about the specific causes at each individual thermal unit.
Maintenance work was specifically cited for Nagarjunasagar Unit-3. Srisailam Unit-4, meanwhile, was reported to have gone down suddenly on Monday.
The combined shutdowns have reduced available generation from both thermal and hydel sources. Telangana power plants are therefore facing a period of pressure as the state seeks to meet rising electricity demand.